Join us for a conversation with John Hazen White, Jr., a Rhode Island business leader dedicated to improving the state’s business and political climate.
White is president of Taco, Inc., a third-generation, $200 million manufacturing company headquartered in Cranston, Rhode Island. Taco, which employs 500 people, is a world-class manufacturer of pumps, valves, tanks, electric controls and other components used in heating and cooling applications and is a leader in its industry.

Janet Gail Besser is vice president, policy and government affairs for the New England Clean Energy Council, where she leads the Council’s policy and advocacy efforts to accelerate New England’s clean energy economy to global leadership by building an active community of stakeholders and a world-class cluster of clean energy companies.

International trade agreements have expanded rapidly in recent years. Supporters claim that the agreements carefully balance the benefits of free trade with the labor, environmental, and other regulatory interests of the signatory nations. Many US states, however, claim that trade agreements unduly restrict or preempt state laws regulating commerce.